State, two federal agencies sign agreement to clean up Santa Susana testing site

Two decades after the first outcry by eastern Ventura County residents living in the shadow of a polluted former rocket engine and nuclear test site, an agreement to clean up portions of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory was signed Monday by two federal agencies and the state.

U.S. Department of Energy and NASA officials signed a final consent order from the state Department of Toxic Substances Control that incorporates parts of SB 990. The state law sets strict environmental standards for the 2,850-acre site and an accelerated process to clean up low-level radiation and chemical contamination, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a statement called the agreement historic for residents and the state, which is overseeing the cleanup.

“I applaud all parties for their commitment to working on a solution that will clean up the environment and protect the health of residents in the bordering communities,” Schwarzenegger said.

But the site’s primary owner, Boeing Co., is not part of the new agreement, which calls for the federal agencies to remove pollutants exceeding natural levels of chemical or radiological substances on their portions of the facility. The agreement only relates to soil and offers several exceptions, such as if cleanup would affect Native American artifacts and sensitive species.

The Department of Energy conducted nuclear research on 290 acres, part of which was the site of a partial meltdown of a small reactor in 1959. NASA owns 451 acres at the site, where it primarily conducted liquid-fuel rocket engine testing.

Officials with both agencies praised the agreement, as did several elected state officials, some residents and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Dawn Kowalski, a Santa Susana Knolls resident, became a cleanup activist 21 years ago after news of the pollution broke. On Monday, she called the agreement amazing.

“I think it’s amazing they went above and beyond SB 990. ... ” Kowalski said, adding she hopes it prompts Boeing to reach a similar agreement. “They need to step up to the plate and do the right thing.”

Kamara Sams, a Boeing spokeswoman, said the company is “committed to a cleanup that protects public health while maximizing preservation of the fragile ecosystems.”

Boeing officials said the agreement does not appear to follow state or federal laws that balance the impacts of the proposed excavation of contaminated dirt with preserving the ecosystem, among other issues. The aerospace giant sued the state in federal court, challenging its authority to oversee and sign off on the cleanup.